/characiformes/characidae/astyanax/jordani/1.jpg "Astyanax jordani")
Blind cave variety
 All Fishes Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Astyanax jordani (Hubbs & Innes, 1936) |
| Common Names | Blind Cave Fish Sardina Ciega (Mexican) |
| Type Locality | Subterranean stream in forested mountain region of southeastern San Luis Potosí, Mexico. |
| Etymology | Astyanax: The name of Astyanax, Hector´s son in the Greek mythology Named for a collector of ornamental fish - his name was C. Basil Jordan - who discovered this blind species of tetra. |
| Species Information | |
| Identification | Today we know that the blind cave tetra can be crossed over generations with the "normal looking" tetra Astyanax mexicanus that can be found all over Mexico. This fact was the reason why many scientists proposed that the blind cave tetra did not represent a species on its own. Nowadays things look different again. Most recent works acknowledge evolutionary aspects and so the blind cave tetra is most often named Astyanax jordani. |
| General Remarks | Discovered in a cave in the state of San Louis Potosí in Mexico by the aforementioned fish collector, C. Basil Jordan. Jordan was able to collect 100 specimens of the new fish and managed to transport them to the USA without losing a single specimen. His discovery was a sensation. The blind cave tetra was the first cave species belonging to the tetra family! The species was initially described in a new genus under the name of Anoptichthys jordani, which is translated "Jordan´s eyeless fish". Interestingly the line never died out in aquaria from the first import in 1936 and the ancestors of all specimens kept today are fish from the original 100. Especially impressive given the blind cave tetra is no beauty!. |
| Habitat Information | |
| Distribution | North America: Mexico. |
| IUCN Red List Category | Endangered, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2018. |
| Husbandry Information | |
| Breeding | An easy to breed egg scatterer. |
| Breeding Reports | There is no breeding report. |
| Further Information | |
| Reference | Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan No. 342, pp 5, Pl. 1. |
| Registered Keepers | There is no registered keeper. |
| Wishlists | Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species. |
| Spotters | Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There is but a single record of this fish being seen, view it. |
| Forum BBCode | |
 | Look up A. jordani on Fishbase |
 | Look up A. jordani on Encyclopedia of Life |
 | Look up A. jordani on Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
 | LFS label creator |
| Last Update | 2017 Aug 15 15:16 (species record created: 2014 Jul 18 08:22) |